Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic period. His music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His best-known compositions include Finlandia, the Karelia Suite, Valse triste, The Swan of Tuonela (one of the four movements of the Lemminkäinen Suite).

The national side of the commemorative two-euro coin depicts the starry sky of Ainola and a copse of pine trees, under which Sibelius was captured in several photographs.